Coconut Cake

It was my sister Pauline’s birthday & I wanted to make her a special birthday cake. There are so many beautiful cakes on Instagram that I thought I might try, but in the end I asked her what cake she would like & Pauline loves Coconut Cake so that is what she wanted!

The recipe I decided to use was the Classic Coconut Cake on the Bon Appetit website.

This cake did not disappoint. It was delicious! Even family members that do not love coconut had a piece & enjoyed it!

Here is the recipe, I did not change a thing….why change something that is so good?

Jacki brought me some beautiful edible glitter from London England a few years ago…I save them for very special occasions…so I sprinkled them on the top of this cake..& they glistened so beautifully in the light…I took a little video to try to show you the glitter & it is visible but does not really sparkle as much in the video as it did in the dining room!

SO BEFORE YOU GET STARTED….YOU NEED THE BUTTER & EGGS TO BE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, SO TAKE THEM OUT OF THE FRIDGE LONG ENOUGH BEFORE YOU WANT TO START MAKING THE CAKE SO THEY GET TO THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE

Here is an ingredient list you will need that you might not have at home…check the full ingredient list below to double check to make sure you have what you need!

• Sweetened flaked coconut…. approx 3 cups so you have enough to coat the outside of the cake as well as use in the cake batter
• 1 cup buttermilk or buttermilk powder
• unsalted butter
• icing sugar
• Philadelphia cream cheese… 1 pkg

Here is the recipe

For the Cake

2 cups flour

1 1/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup buttermilk *** I used buttermilk powder in water that I bought at Bulk Barn

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

5 large egg yolks

4 large egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 tsp salt

For the Icing 

3 1/3 cups icing sugar

1  8 oz/226 g Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

To Top the Cake

1 cup …approximately… sweetened flanked coconut to put all over the cake… I did not measure how much I used, but I think it was more than 1 cup… so have lots of coconut on hand

Method 

Preheat oven to 350f

Grease 2   9″ cake pans with non stick spray, line the bottom of the pans with a round piece of parchment paper

For the cake 

1. In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the coconut & set aside
2. Mix the buttermilk & baking soda together, set aside
3. In a mixer, beat the sugar & butter together until light & fluffy, scrape down the sides of the bowl & bottom often..
4. Add the egg yolks & beat until the eggs are blended with the sugar/butter
5. Now, you will add the flour/coconut mixture alternately with the buttermilk/baking soda to the bowl, mixing after each addition… so flour, milk, flout, milk, flour Scrape down the sides & bottom of the bowl often.
6. You have to beat the egg whites now & I only have one bowl for my mixer so I put this batter into a different large bowl, set it aside. I washed the mixer bowl & put the whisk beater on
7. Beat the egg whites with 1/4 tsp of salt until peaks form
8. Add the beaten egg whites to the batter by folding in 1/3 of the egg whites at time just to blend…do not overtax or it will deflate the beaten whites
9. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans
10. Bake the cakes in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean
11. Remove the cakes to wire racks to cool for 10 minutes.
12. Remove the cakes from the pans by running a knife around the edge…turn the cakes out of the pans onto the cooling racks & carefully remove the parchment paper rounds
13. Cool the cakes completely before icing them

Make the icing while the cakes are cooling

1. Using a mixer, beat the icing sugar, cream cheese, butter & vanilla together until really well blended & smooth

Putting the cake together

1. Put one cooled layer onto serving plate that you are going to use, flat side done
2. Spread 1 cup of the icing on that top of that layer …I sprinkled some coconut on top of the icing just to add a bit extra but then the layers did not really stay together so I would not recommend doing that!
3. Now place the second cake layer on top of the first one
4. Spread the rest of the icing on the top & sides of the cake
5. Sprinkle the coconut on the top of the cake & press it onto the sides…

Keep the cake covered in the refrigerator but leave out for 1 hour before serving so the cake gets to room temperature!

Enjoy!